My Village's Journey from the Train to ICT age - By Andrew Keili

My Village's Journey from the Train to ICT age - By Andrew Keili

My village’s entry into the ICT age is at great cost to me. I would need to do a cost-benefit analysis however to ascertain if the cost outweighs the benefits. I have seen Baiima have so many ups and downs in my living memory. Time was, when this famous train station village near Pendembu in the Kailahun District stood tall. Letters for the neighbouring Mobai Chiefdom headquarter town used to get letters marked “Mobai via Baiima”. The closure of the railway reduced the villages’s status. To rub insult to injury Mobai had the Vianini road to Pendembu and was linked to Baiima by a mere dirt road. Ironically letters to Baiima got addressed as “Baiima via Mobai”. How times change! Baiima, being close to Daru Barracks was a town that bore the brunt if the rebel war and was totally destroyed-yes totally, including my father’s 14 room concrete house of which we were so proud-only sometimes we couldn’t find a place to sleep as each of the many Uncles had claimed their own rooms.

What has all this got to do with ICT? Well, Celtel has decided to have a presence through the length and breadth of the country. There is no commercial reason why it should have a presence in Baiima but by happenstance, someone discovered there was coverage in, of all places the Court Barrie. The David Livingstone of a teacher who discovered this is making good money, I have discovered. He sits in an armchair in the corner of the Barrie and takes money for calls-often at exorbitant charges. He managed to get my phone number one day and called me up. Karmoh, is that you?, he asked. After answering in the affirmative I heard him yell in Mende-We have got him! How are you, how are the wife and Children? After the normal pleasantries, he said an uncle wanted to talk to me. The first Uncle continued with the usual questions about the wife and family and gave me news about the village. ”Uncle Brima is also here”. We went through the same rigmarole until we got to the sixth Uncle, each starting with his usual greetings and asking after each member of the big Keili family, including those overseas. The last Uncle handed the phone to a cousin that had swindled some money I sent for him. He asked for forgiveness. To save on my $20 card, I obliged immediately. “Don’t bother begging further, I forgive you with all my heart”, I said. Teacher “David Livingstone” phoned me a week later. “ Could you phone me tomorrow at 12 and text me the number for a $10 card?” I obliged. On comparing notes with a few of my townsfolk in Freetown, he had got a 500 unit from one and 200 unit from another.

“David Livingstone” has however proved useful. When I had an urgent message for the paramount Chief he made the three mile journey to Mobai to deliver the message and brought back the reply. A few more cards have gone his way from me but I don’t mind. He has been a constant source of news –mainly good. He is sometimes so anxious that the death of a wife of my favourite Uncle turned into my Uncle’s death. I nearly phoned David and others to pass on the news when another phone call came through, cancelling the death. Ah well, everybody makes mistakes! Weighing everything, the benefits actually outweigh the cost- enough to ask my brother David to also contribute-after all I pass on news to him through this source. “David Livingstone” recently asked for the phone numbers of my brothers and sisters in the US. David and others, you are warned!